Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Announcement & Blind books

Autumn has come to Owens Residence, I walked in at the height of the heat yesterday to find the house 64 degrees, which seemed nice and cool at the time. The door is open now because Dingo LOVES the outdoors (and my neighbor's backyard), Charlie has been introduced to Dingo, so he knows which cat is prowling around his yard. So the fans will come out of the windows and the shades will come down.

Now for the announcement. Since my agent has announced this on publishers lunch, I guess I can do it here.

Berkley has bought three more Heart books. This is particularly fine since I only sent in a proposal for two. Heart Change, the story of Cratag Maytree and Signet D'Marigold, and Heart Journey, the story of Raz Cherry and Del (Helena) D'Elcampane. I think I've spoken about this work.

I think the third book (called a "blind" book in that the publisher is buying something they have no idea it might be -- but you can be sure the contract will say "another book set on the planet Celta" and I DID tell my editor that I was planning to slip about twenty years and move on to the next generation. That's my idea now.)Celta: 427 Years after Colonization.

Since lives are very long on Celta (to make up for poor birth rate, etc.) all the people I've written of will still be alive -- and in their prime, except for one secondary character. I don't see that I'll be going back to the previous generation's time.

I've got an idea how I will link the books, it came to me when my editor said she wanted (or "could give us") three. First up will be the oldest youngster in the Heart Books.

Now I have to get back to Echoes In The Dark line edits (bath first)which are due FRIDAY, but I wanted to take as long a break as I could from it. The sun has risen since I've typed this. More about the retreat and the wonderful dinner I had last night (in which I applied an epiphany I learned in San Francisco) and my old alma mater, later this week.

12 Comments:

*gets out the confetti and party horns* Congrats! Good things always come in threes. We knew you could do it (and will continue to do so for many years to come). Can't wait to see your offerings.

Had to laugh when I saw the snow mentioned the other day that fell west of Denver. Here in VT we know that 'one season now and another in an hour or so' thing so very well. As we say, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a while." Good to hear the heat's finally broken though.

I've always wanted to try a writer's retreat and hope to do so sometime in the future. Right now I'm saving for RT in April, so that dream's been put on the back burner for a while. *sigh* Is there some site you might know of that rates or recommends such retreats? Or is it more of a word of mouth kind of thing amongst writers?

YAAAAAY!!!! Okay i need to get out my five year calendar and make notes to keep looking for them. i'm really looking forward to Vinni's story, something tells me that his heartmate, Avelana, will keep him on is toes.

A really, really good retreat are the "hermit weeks" sponsored by Low Country Romance writers. I went last year and will be going (and teaching at classes before hand) this year, too. For room and board, they are reasonable.

Valerie, Vinni and Avellana are seen in Heart Fate, and Avellana is a major secondary character in the book I'm writing now, Heart Change.

I am so thrilled your publishing company has the brains to know your a winner for them so that I and all your other fans can enjoy more of your wonderful books. (for their own good they should have nailed you down for another 20 or so!!!!) Thank-you and keep them coming! Catheryne